LEGEND
by Dark Mage Zeref
Summary: For three years, Mew has been watching a young boy in Pallet Town, interesting in the way he's immune to its psychic abilities. A day marked by Deoxys' arrival on Earth ends with the destruction of Pallet, and despite Arceus' protests it went and saved him. That choice would go on to affect all their lives.
1. (Prologue Part 1) Prelude To Devastation

The boy was at it again, it thought. Mew dared to move closer, absently shifting to a Spearow and perching on the eaves of a nearby home. He was racing down the dirt pathway that led straight through Pallet Town, breath wild enough to match his rapid heart that matched his feet whipping down the road. Behind him, the same three boys followed but at a much slower pace, shouting and screaming words it barely understood as human profanities.

Mew didn't know when it started, but one day it saw the little three-year-old sitting at the shore, stacks of books half-buried in the sand next to him. It was somewhat interesting how he such a young child reading several books with over eight hundred pages each day, but it was more interesting that unlike every other human it had ever encountered, this boy repelled its Psychic advances. It was unable to probe his mind for even the most fundamental information, and that was a source of interest for the ancient Pokémon. Never in its life had it found a human able to resist its Psychic powers, and it piqued its interest until it almost choked on it. Since that day it had taken up watching the boy, trying to discover what exactly made him so special.

Adults looked on from their daily duties and shouted at the boys but their pleas went unnoticed. Pokémon attempted to step in, only to be fought back by the boys' Raichu and Geodude. That left the poor little boy on his own as he attempted to outrun the older ones while carrying two large volumes and faced with a muddy terrain against his bare feet and their shoes, "sneakers" as the humans called them. It fidgeted on the house, edging towards him as he grew closer and closer. No, it thought, flitting away from the edge. Interfering with the humans is forbidden. I cannot—

"Zach! Allan! Corner him!" the tallest boy yelled at the others. They pushed the little one to the shore, circling him until he was a footstep away from plunging into the ocean's cool blue waters. That's Suicune's domain, Mew thought, spreading its wings to glide over. It set again in a tree that loomed over the water's surface, watching the tallest boy as he cracked his knuckles while approaching the little boy. Perhaps Suicune could aid him— It interrupted its own thought, already aware that Suicune would simply repeat the rules of the legendary to it. He was on his own.

"Get him, Joey," Allan, a short eight-year-old with short brown hair, smirked as he grabbed the boy's right arm. Zach, a slightly older and slightly taller redhead, took hold of the boy's left arm, the two of them holding him in place as their unofficial leader, Joseph, readied himself to attack the little one. Penetrating his superficial thoughts yielded results no better than his anger at having to visit his wayward uncle in Pallet Town and a cartoon called _Fairly Odd Primeape_ coming on at 8 P.M., and as soon as it tried to dig deeper Joseph's face twisted in mild discomfort. Further prodding would only alert him to its presence, which was completely against Arceus' wishes for them to remain unobtrusive.

The first punch was rather quick, leaving not even an echo to prove its existence. If the boy's head hadn't snapped to the side, in fact, Mew doubted it would've known he had been punched at all. The second one was slower and the hard _thump_ of bone on bone was obvious in the air as he moaned softly, blood trickling out from the corner of his mouth. The others and their Pokémon laughed as the boy was pitilessly thrashed, his books burned via Thunderbolt and tossed into the water.

Mew finally couldn't take it anymore; disregarding Arceus' rules, it leapt into the air, taking the form of a more fear-provoking Arcanine as it hit the ground, growling and snarling at the boy's opponents. They shouted and the main one Joseph yelled at the Raichu to use Volt Tackle. Mew met his eyes as he began the attack.

_You should leave,_ it threatened telepathically.

"Why the hell should I?" he scoffed, rolling his eyes. Mew took a step forward, causing him to step back.

_Because if you do not, you will have an angry Legendary Pokémon to deal with. _It released its transformation for a moment, a mere inhale of breath, but that was enough time for the Raichu to squeak and tumble over the Geodude in his rush to scamper away. Mew barked at the three boys; they gave unmanly screams as they followed Raichu. In the end, Geodude was the only one remaining. _I suggest you go with your Trainers,_ Mew said calmly, sitting down.

"No," he replied heavily. Mew inclined its head.

_Not the smartest boulder of the bunch, are you?_

"No," he repeated.

Mew slowly revolved to face the boy. He had fallen to his knees, hands over his bleeding and swollen face. It sniffed the air; the only smell in it was blood, with a faint trace of poinsettia, which seemed to be from his clothes. Astoundingly, he had not shed a single tear, otherwise Mew would've smelled the salt on him. It walked past him as he attempted to scrub the blood from his face with his shirt, shifting from Arcanine to Golduck as it slid into the water.

Thankfully, the edge of the water was not very deep, and it only had to search ten feet before finding the boy's lost books. It took hold of them and broke the surface, returning to its normal form to hover just above it. It hummed slightly as it used Heal Bell, the sweet cadence of tones drying the pages and recovering the charred parts. The boy, also, blinked in surprise as his wounds disappeared, the blood the only remnant of his attack. Mew was careful to leave the books just behind him, disappearing as he turned around. It settled itself behind a house as he stood, picking up the books with wary curiosity. He moved over to the shadow of another home before settling down again, cracking open one and immersing himself in its pages. Content, Mew took the form of a wild Nidoran and shifted its attention to the others. Finding them was a menial task for its Psychic abilities; it quickly discovered them inside Pallet Town's Pokémon Laboratory.

The Professor, an elderly man called Oak or the Pokémon Professor, was feeding a pair of young Charmander when Zach, Allan, and Joseph burst in in a flurry. Oak turned, a greeting on his lips, but Joseph beat him to it, frantically screaming, "Arcanine! An Arcanine outside!"

Oak chuckled as the Charmander began a game of tag. "Is this like the time you said a Spearow was reading on your chimney, or an Aerodactyl was hiding under your bed?"

"It was!" he protested. "I was right then and I'm right now! Take a look!"

Deciding to humor the lad, Oak walked past him and pulled back the curtains on the window. Scanning the southern vicinity of Pallet yielded no results further than a couple of wayward Caterpie. Zach and Allan immediately worked themselves into a frenzy; Oak shook his head, silencing them. "Joseph, you really should stop making up these stories," he sighed. "I know your parents work frequently, however—"

"I'm _not_ making it up!" he shouted. Raichu squeaked his assent, followed by Geodude's much less convincing support. "Man, whatever!" He spun on his heel, tailed by his Raichu. Zach was the first to chase after him, followed by Allan after he returned his Geodude. Mew dodged their wild feet as they stomped through the door, slamming it shut. Oak looked after them pitifully, similar to a parent that had to watch their child go rotten in front of their eyes, unable to help. Mew caught the door just before it closed, slipping through the crack of an opening. It paused just outside of the Pokémon Laboratory; the boy had disappeared from his spot. It sniffed around for him but couldn't find him at all; he must've been in a home, surrounded by other scents that overpowered his. Well, it couldn't linger on a human, not when it so markedly had a tongue lashing waiting in the other world.

The sun had begun to set, marking the time the humans chose to return to their dwellings for the evening. As soon as the last man disappeared inside his home, all thoughts calm and sedentary, Mew resumed its original form and sent a telepathic alert to Palkia. A small rip in the air appeared almost instantaneously, allowing it to slip through into the separate space known as Arceus' dimension.

The Alpha Pokémon had its back to the entrance Mew came in through, speaking in hushed mental tones to Rayquaza and Kyogre. It didn't understand very much of what it was saying, but Mew caught the gist that the two were being reprimanded for something. Rayquaza was scowling, an expression adopted from human adolescents, and Kyogre appeared impenitent, the rain not lamenting over whoever's home it drowned. Mew inaudibly floated up to one of the many bright stars littering the dark sky, hiding itself behind its brilliance. Arceus, for the most part, seemed oblivious. That is, until its thoughts finally reached Mew:

_Come here, do not attempt to conceal yourself. This is my dimension; I would be a fool to not notice a soul wandering it._

Mew was silent and somber as it slowly floated down to the much larger Pokémon's side. Rayquaza chortled, a sound highly comparable to a crackle of thunder. _I never thought these eyes would behold the Ancient Pokémon in my very own position!_ it laughed, throwing its head back and waving its tail. _You are no better than either of us, recalcitrant little brat!_

_I am not a brat,_ Mew protested. _It would be wise for you to watch your language in the face of your elder, Rayquaza._ It punctuated the sentence with a sharp crack of ice to Rayquaza's tail; it gasped, snapping it back with obvious pain flashing across its draconic face. That expression quickly dissolved into his usual ferocious countenance as it lunged at Mew, held back at the last moment by Arceus' hoof.

_Release me at once!_ it roared, eyes full of fire and jaw snapping hungrily. _I'm completely fed up with this insolent little wench! This daft, the Ancient Pokémon? Higher on the hierarchy than me?_ It barked out a humorless laugh. _I'll chew you up and spit out the bloody bits, Mew!_

_Rayquaza, calm yourself!_ Arceus ordered. Its order could've went unspoken (or un-thought, would be a better phrase) for all the good it did; Rayquaza's temperament was no less volatile than when Mew first spoke (_thought_; speaking is for humans, it tried to remember) against it. Kyogre turned to Mew resignedly.

_Perhaps you should take your leave,_ it suggested. A flare of protest rose in their minds; it turned to Arceus, the source of it, and continued, _You may bend Mew's ear later, Arceus; for now, the main concern is calming Rayquaza before it forgets that its temperament maintains the protective layer around Earth, and such a puerile tantrum will put the planet in danger._

_Excellent point, _Arceus said, and if Mew didn't know any better it would say the ancient creator sounded petulant. It released its Psychic hold on its body and let itself drift among the universe, letting the immensity and blinding iridescence of the stars envelope it like a blanket. Its attention wandered to a small glacial blue star alone in the far reach of the galaxy. Somehow, it reminded it of the boy.

* * *

><p>The initial shock hit Mew before any thoughts of what actually transpired. It was jolted from a momentary rest by an immense feeling of distress similar to electricity coursing through its small body. It spun until it was floating upright, searching Arceus' universe for whatever caused such a disturbance. It soon realized that the anomaly was not of their world, but of the humans', of the boy's. That thought had Mew practically screeching at Palkia to open a dimensional rift, the Space Pokémon grumbling at its volume in return as it took its sweet time opening a portal. Mew didn't even wait until it was fully formed; it shoved itself through when it was still the size of a tennis ball, altering its appearance slightly to make the squeeze.<p>

Pallet Town, at first glance, was its usual mundane self, but a quick telepathic scan revealed something atypical travelling through the skies, Rayquaza's domain. It frantically searched all universes, the sub-domains of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, and Kalos; however, Rayquaza was nowhere to be seen. Ah, damn it, Mew thought, grimacing slightly at its uncharacteristically human choice of words. The obtrusion that normally would have been instantly repelled by the dragon easily passed through the ozone, dropping like the meteor it was until it hit the ground, creating a tsunami of dirt and grass as it buried itself in the dirt of Route 1.

No sooner than when Mew decided to investigate the dust abruptly cleared, revealing a smooth purple stone inlaid into the earth. It pulsed with a steady heartbeat, it noticed, something so very alive and very wrong an involuntary shiver ran through its body. The heartbeat was soon accompanied by a visible purple corona that surrounded the small meteorite. Mew propelled its Psychic energy forward, trying to get a sense of it, but something about it was as repulsive as a Dark-type, reversing the flow of energy back to Mew and causing it a major migraine. It collapsed to the ground with a loud whine, clenching its small head until the splitting pain passed. When it returned to the air, the meteorite was gone.

What? Mew thought, flitting around in search of it. The crater was still there, tendrils of dark grey smoke wafting up from the charred earth, but the stone had completely vanished. It was then that Mew again felt that spine-tingling sense of wrongness, that chilling cold that permeated its body. It revolved slowly, apprehensive for the first time in its life, and beheld something that couldn't possibly have been of Earth, even though it somewhat resembled a Pokémon.

The thing had its back to Mew, coupled with the darkness faintly deterred by dim starlight and clouded moon, so it couldn't get an accurate view, but the things it could see were vivid enough. It had a mixture of orange and teal skin, two tentacles where each arm should have been, and legs that tapered to a point rather than having feet. As Mew watched, a sickly _glug-glug-glug_ sound was emitted from its body, like water boiling under extreme heat but magnified and with reverb. Its head, previously oblong, shifted like clay being molded, changing to a three-pointed circle. Its tentacles shifted, uncoiling and falling limp around its thinning body, while its knees jutted out, becoming pointed, and its upper thighs smoothed somewhat. Mew covered its mouth to suppress a gasp; the only Pokémon capable of transforming were it and Ditto, Zorua and Zoroark as well if you were to count illusions, even though the alien Pokémon seemed quite real. It was obviously not Mew, and since Mew couldn't read its thoughts it couldn't have been a Ditto, so what was it?

A low buzz wrung Mew from its thoughts. It was unable to hide its gasp this time as it caught the foreign thing charging a ball of bright white energy in front of its assumed face, a move Mew instantly recognized. It attempted to race forward but, for the first time in its extremely long life, Mew tripped on itself, falling to the dirt. It rose just as the energy disappeared, then felt its heart stutter to a stop as the thing's body jerked forward with the huge pulse of blinding energy that poured forth from it, a high-pitched screeching noise succeeding it. The Hyper Beam was of a magnitude Mew had never seen from a non-Legendary; it sliced through the stone and brick homes as if they were water, not just blowing apart or destroying but completely _obliterating_ them, as if they never existed in the first place, sweeping the attack side to side like a broom. A pain reverberated in Mew's chest as it felt dozens of thoughts abruptly disappear, leaving not even a trace as this—this _monster_ was doing.

When it seemingly was mollified, cutting the attack off, three-fourths of Pallet Town had completely disappeared. Completely. It was as if somebody had cut a rectangular slice out of the area; nothing but air existed for at least a mile around, the dirt and rock deposits not even appearing until a hundred and twenty-two feet below the original height of the land. The alien looked between the destroyed and unharmed pieces of land as if admiring the job it did. Mew, frustrated, sent the strongest blast of Thunder in its direction that it could. To Mew's utter astonishment, the alien disappeared, leaving the attack to instead burn away a patch of dirt. What— it thought it incredulity, but was unable to finish as it heard something land in the dirt behind it. Mew's reaction was too slow; the alien blasted it with Zap Cannon, the electricity propelling it into the air until it hit the edge of the drop-off. It regained consciousness quickly enough for it to launch itself back in the air before it fell into the canyon that thing created.

_Who are you?_ Mew pressed, though it was unsure if the thing could even process its words. _Where are you from? Why are you attacking this town?_

The alien either didn't want to respond or didn't understand the question, though it may have been more of the latter. It simply stood there, perhaps even inclined its head if Mew's senses weren't dulled. Mew sighed, resigning itself to the dreaded "forceful methodology" as it charged a Shadow Ball. The thing could apparently sense moves as well as it could utilize them—the way the purple stone embedded in its torso glowed could even be called a Psychic reaction, though Mew was beyond categorizing it with Earth Pokémon types for the time being—because it disappeared again just as Mew completed the attack. It spun, prepared to deal it, but the creature wasn't behind it. It prepared to lurch high into the air for a better view before it felt a painful jab in its back, followed by a gut-wrenching sting of something acidic that sent it sprawling on the floor, energy dissipating ineffectually into the air.

_Uguu_, Mew groaned, an icy feeling of numbness coursing through its veins. The thing's legs strolled into view; from Mew's angle, it seemed that it was staring down at it. Mew tried to raise its head but found its body completely useless. It took a few moments for Mew to realize that the thing was actually trying to communicate with it.

*EAR YUO HTE CASRNEOT OF LLA HRTEA MOKEONP?* The way it spoke alone was very perplexing; it was neither mental nor vocal, yet somehow Mew understood every word as if they were engraved upon its brain, _understood_ perhaps being a poor choice of wording for its puzzling speech.

'Ear yuo hte casrneot of lla hrtea mokeonp,' Mew thought, utterly baffled. The alien shifted its feet in an almost apprehensive manner.

*MA DNUTRDOESO? MA CRUENTANI FI THAER KPOEOMN OPCMRHEEDN HTSI...* Mew felt something poke its back, then the alien's tentacle flipped it onto its back. It was staring at Mew inquisitively. *LEOSTNENHSE. I EAVH A RUPEOPS.* It stepped back a few feet, tentacles raised in preparation to launch another attack.

_Name, _Mew said, though it came out as more of a weak whine. _A name, please…_

The alien visibly halted. *DEOXYS* it stated monotonously after five seconds' worth of deliberation. Suddenly Deoxys' head snapped to the sky, just in time to watch a pillar of orange and gold fire pierce it with laser accuracy. Deoxys skidded across the dirt, brown smoke momentarily obscuring it from view. When that cleared, the alien had obviously changed forms again. This one appeared defensive, if Mew had to describe it; Deoxys' body was rounder and its tentacles flatter and more malleable, obvious in the way they extended to shield its body from the Dragon-type's flames.

_Rayquaza, _Mew mewed. The Sky High Pokémon dropped to the ground, coiling itself like an Arbok and growling at its newest opponent. It grabbed Mew in its claws, not at all carefully or considerately but gently enough for it not to be crushed or choked.

_You should thank Arceus I intervened when I did,_ it said with a draconic smile. _At the same time, curse him for putting me on punishment._ Mew involuntarily shuddered; Arceus' punishments were quite horrid. _Otherwise I could've stopped this freak before it even entered my mesosphere._

*A NWE NEO* Deoxys said, what seemed to be amazement marring its face. *HET KSY HIGH MKOEPON. TEH AGUDRNAI FO ATHER'S EAHNEV*

_What is this illiterate imbecile saying? _Rayquaza snorted. Deoxys perhaps understood that, because it chose that moment to change back to its antecedent form, firing an impressive Ice Beam. Rayquaza dodged it easily, its speed being unparalleled, and the ice completely froze ten large oak trees. Rayquaza threw its head back and laughed, circling Deoxys like a Mandibuzz. _Hah! The day _I_, the great Rayquaza, am overwhelmed is the day I relinquish my position as the Sky High Pokémon! You are no match, alien or not! Pokémon or not! _Its tail glowed with blue and gold energy as it spun around, whipping it in Deoxys' direction. Deoxys blocked the attack again, though it did knock it back a few steps. It took that opportunity to shift again, this form appearing more aerodynamic and lithe. Its head protrusions streamlined like jet wings and it lost its topmost tentacles, its legs thinning instead. It looked Rayquaza directly in its eyes.

*YOU ARE NO MATCH* Something about its tone hinted it was just mimicking Rayquaza's words, but the dragon was angered nonetheless—not that angering it was a herculean feat since, after all, it had the shortest fuse of all Dragon-type Legendaries.

_I am more than enough to deal with you!_ Rayquaza roared, seemingly forgetting that it was toting Mew as it raced towards Deoxys. The alien disappeared in the blink of an eye, forcing Rayquaza to stop just as it reappeared millimeters from its face. It spun around and jabbed Rayquaza right between the eyes with several quick strikes from its quicker legs, forcing the Legendary back in the air until it was far above the ruined Pallet Town. It roared in anger as Deoxys slowed enough to appear on one of the houses, expression almost pitiful. Mew grabbed Rayquaza's arm warningly but it shook it off, a deep rumble resonating in its throat as it fired an indeterminately powerful Dragon Pulse. Deoxys skittered away to the ocean's edge triumphantly as if it was expecting just that, as if it knew at first glance that Rayquaza was one to lose its temper and waste all of its energy in a single attack if provoked.

Deoxys' new form, obviously built for speed, effortlessly evaded Rayquaza's attack, and, unable to cancel it, the draconic energy easily wrecked the part of Pallet that Deoxys didn't, though instead of completely obliterating everything it simply destroyed it, leaving more graphic evidence in its place. _The boy,_ Mew thought, an agitated gasp escaping its lips.

_Boy? What boy? _Mew cursed itself for making its thoughts audible; Rayquaza was as nosy as it was impertinent. _Hah! Don't tell me that's why you were in trouble with the big guy! You interacted with one of those worthless little Rattata?_

Mew ignored it for the time being, squirming free from its grip and salvaging the energy to gauchely float down. Rayquaza's destruction was patently messier than Deoxys', leaving debris and bodies scattered everywhere. It was startling the humans didn't go out to investigate; perhaps it was one of Deoxys' abilities that kept them inside where they were so obviously endangered. It checked the shore, the Pokémon Laboratory, and every ruined house, but it was unable to find a single trace of the boy. Maybe he was a victim of that Hyper Beam, it thought dejectedly, landing in a pile of torn mattress. Its feathery warmth somewhat reminded it of Ho-Oh, whom it hadn't seen in a very long time. It looked up disconsolately, watching Rayquaza lurch at Deoxys, sending it back a few steps, before snapping back into the sky to avoid its attacks. Though it recognized the strategy, it couldn't be happy about it; it simply felt mournful for the boy whose name it never knew.

Deoxys flinched as its foot scraped the lip of the ocean. It had reached the end of Pallet Town (or its remains, at least) and there was nowhere left to go but under. Rayquaza grew within breathing space and stuck its tongue out, whipping around to snap its tail in Deoxys' face. Deoxys stumbled back in the water, but the splash was never heard; Palkia took that moment to intervene with a space portal, sealing the alien in a different dimension. Mew sighed; they were safe, to be technical, but even Dialga's powers couldn't restore lives lost. The precocious little boy would forever be lost to the world.

_Mew, quit daydreaming, _Rayquaza chastised, prodding it with its tail. _I know Arceus wants us all back to talk, so hasten yourself! _It took off then, slithering through the sky and disappearing into the night. Mew started to rise, feeling the odd sensation of tears pricking at its eyes, and prepared to signal Palkia before a weak cry broke through the painful silence. It spun around, stretching its Psychic abilities as far as they could go, but it sensed no life. Its heart leapt; that meant only one person.

It traced the cry back to a brown-brick home that had completely collapsed. It paused, flitting from spot to spot and picking away at the bricks telekinetically, before the cry came again, this time from underneath the chimney. It was a simple yet arduous task to move the entire collapsed structure, but Mew, motivated, made quick work of it, revealing its little friend curled up amidst a few jutting wires that were presumably from the mantle. They held up the bricks, it thought, daring to move closer. This boy is lucky, indeed.

Mew initially tried to move it by use of Psychic; however, the boy's body absorbed its mental effort like a sponge, rendering it useless. Sighing, Mew found the energy to transform yet again, this time choosing a Charizard. It pushed back the debris and very carefully took the boy in its arms, noting with displeasure the extreme cold of his body. Perhaps that cry was his final breath, Mew thought melancholically. Nevertheless, it wasn't going to allow his body to decompose there; if the boy had truly died, it would give him a proper burial in due time. At that moment, however, its duties laid with the Legendary Pokémon of the world.

Palkia's gruff voice resonated in its mind, asking if it was ready to travel. Mew hoped it didn't sound as anxious as it believed as it agreed. The spatial rift appeared high in the sky, almost like a black eye against the moon. Mew flapped its wings, gliding on an uprising current to reach it. It grew close enough to taste the stardust but had to pause, turning to stare back at the desolate town. The humans would notice soon enough and put it on their "news network," it thought. It couldn't help but mourn for all the lives lost; it also couldn't help the deep feeling of resentment that congealed in its chest. It was Deoxys' fault, it thought. And it made sure to exact its revenge soon.

Arceus' impatient bark sounded from inside the portal. Giving Pallet Town one more despondent glance, Mew disappeared into the portal.


	2. (Prologue Part 2) Solitary Vagrant

Arceus' dimension was a hodgepodge of other dimensions, all linked by invisible-to-the-eye portals in the star. One could travel from the Kalos region to Kanto in the blink of an eye; that was how dimensional travel worked. It made it much easier for Mew to slip through among the incoming Legendaries and into its portal, returning to its dimension.

Mew's dimension was like Arceus' in that it was also outer space, however its "sky" was a light pink gradient like its fur, and it had much brighter stars. Then there were its "toys," those being items that the humans had thrown out and it collected. It tried to lay the boy in a crib with a broken gate but found him too big; briefly searching its collection, it rediscovered its favorite item: a large bed with very soft sheets and a very soft mattress. It carefully laid the boy down on it, maneuvering him away from the protruding springs, and covered him with the sheets, as if he was asleep. To be honest, Mew was hoping he was simply asleep.

_Mew, what are you doing? _Arceus' heated voice rang in its head. Mew sighed and, casting one more forlorn glance at the boy, passed through the portal again into Arceus' dimension. It was packed in a figurative sense, being filled with every Legendary Pokémon in the world, but not literally, so it was still able to float and maneuver around the others until it was at Arceus' right hand side.

_How are you, Arceus? _Mew asked genially. If its expression could change, Mew would've said it seemed irate.

_Listen,_ it said pithily, turning to acknowledge every Legendary present at the haphazard meeting. _I know how arbitrarily this gathering has been called—_

_You can say that again! _Latios snorted, Keldeo clicking its hoofs together in agreement.

_—__however, it was extremely necessary, _Arceus finished, staring at them passive-aggressively. _There has been an infringement in Earth's atmosphere due to Rayquaza's impertinence—_ Rayquaza snorted, openly glaring and growling at Mew, _—and we need to decide on a course of action. Palkia, if you please._

Palkia grunted as the magenta lines crisscrossing its body glowed with pink energy. A rip suddenly appeared in Arceus' space, as if someone had brought a knife to the air and sliced straight down. Deoxys appeared in the center of the room as opposed to just outside of the portal, though it was still in its Speed Form, so that was most likely the explanation. Its beady eyes scanned the room quickly before landing on Rayquaza. *GANIA, UYO! SYK DURAGINA AUQYRZAA* Everyone grimaced a bit at having to experience its alien form of communication, even Rayquaza, who was used to it, which caused its reaction to be a fraction of a second too late as Deoxys charged it.

_Hey! _A blue aura appeared around Deoxys, immobilizing it; it made an odd sort of screeching sound, eyes searching for the culprit. Latios rolled his eyes. _The next time you want to attempt to attack someone, do so without a Pokémon able to sense emotions in the room, okay?_

_You're _so_ not amusing,_ Latias scowled, gliding over until she was within breathing distance of Deoxys—assuming that it did breathe. She laid a gentle hand over the alien's head; it immediately bucked forward, both surprising and irking Latios as his face twisted in concentration. Deoxys was stilled yet again, though obviously by a small margin. Latias closed her eyes and hummed gently, an action quite familiar to the other Hoenn Legendaries but not as much to the rest.

_What is that supposed to be? _Zekrom asked.

_She is reading his being using her Psychic abilities, _Suicune answered placidly.

_Sounds like a sham to me,_ Heatran snorted, stomping his feet.

_So does cleaning yourself, but nobody here is judging,_ Keldeo said, laughing. Cobalion looked at it censoriously; Keldeo whistled and kicked at the ground innocuously in response. Latias' eyes snapped open before Cobalion could come up with an apt reply.

_Deoxys is the DNA Pokémon,_ she said, meeting everyone's eyes. _It originated from a virus floating in space suffering from a mutation; this stone in its chest is its nucleus._

Latios continued, _It means to do harm, and a lot of it. A very vengeful Pokémon, it is; it's very obviously unsafe to let this eyesore roam the regions. I say that we burn it at the stake presently._

_Thank you for your outdated views on dealing with anomalies, Latios, _Virizion commented sardonically. Latios shot it a withering look.

_I suppose you have better _pacifistic_ ideas, then?_

_Everybody has better ideas than your prepubescent self, _Zapdos said. _Your best idea was to remain in Hoenn, sparing us Kanto Pokémon the stress of seeing you._

_Zapdos, please,_ Articuno chided.

_All of you, please!_ Entei barked.

_SILENCE!_ Arceus roared. All of the Legendaries closed their mouths; the only sound remaining was a low gurgle of breath. _Breath_. Everybody looked at each other; it seemed that the sound had not originated from Arceus' dimension. Rather, it was coming from one of the stars. _Did someone carry another being in our sacred place?_ Arceus demanded, stomping a hoof.

_No,_ the Legendaries chorused. Arceus' head snapped in Mew's direction when it was a heartbeat too slow in responding.

_Latios, Kyogre, and Groudon,_ Arceus said without turning. _I want you two creators to make an island far off of Hoenn's coast and seal Deoxys up there. As for you, Mew—_ Mew whined, shrinking back into a little pink ball. Arceus jabbed it hard with a hoof; Mew landed on its stomach with a wheezing exhale. _We are going to have a very serious _discussion. _Meeting_ _dismissed!_ It punctuated the sentence with a loud slam of his hoof.

The Legendaries scattered, random thoughts flying back and forth as they slipped back into their regions. Soon, only Mew and Arceus remained. _Show me,_ it demanded, the finality of its tone leaving no room for protest or fabrications. Acquiescent, Mew went back to its world, Arceus at its tail.

_He's right—what?_ Mew broke off as it realized the boy had disappeared from the bed. It tried to search for him but the endless piles upon piles of random human possessions made it hard to find such a small person. _He's somewhere in here,_ it said. _He can't fly, so he couldn't have escaped._

Arceus looked to the side and bowed its head slightly. Mew followed its gaze and spotted a dark spot against its plush fuzzy "carpeting," if it remembered the name correctly. It floated down and found the boy sitting on a vinyl armchair, a large leather-bound volume balanced on his knees. _Hello?_ Mew said, tapping his fingers. He simply adjusted himself, not bothering to look up. It looked at Arceus helplessly.

_Human boy, _Arceus boomed in its loud authoritative voice. The boy jumped, dropping the book to the ground and nearly falling from the chair as its head snapped towards Arceus. _Is this a survivor of Deoxys' attack?_ it asked Mew.

_The only one,_ Mew murmured wretchedly, landing on his head. _I am sorry._

He appeared tense at first, then touched its fur and relaxed. "I know you." It was the first time it ever heard him speak; his voice was very musical, like soft bells. It had the lull of one who was unused to speaking. "You're the Ancient Pokémon, Mew. I read about you." He pointed at Arceus. "And you're the Alpha Pokémon, the one who is said to have created everything."

_He studies well, for a human, _Arceus noted. _They are usually too preoccupied with the now than the before; they are more concerned with present affairs than the intricacies of how they came to be._

_He's different,_ Mew said. _Very much so._

Arceus appeared pensive. The boy, finally appearing adjusted to the presence of two ultra-Legendary Pokémon, reached down to take up his book. _Nevertheless, he must be returned to his world, _Arceus finally decided.

_But Pallet Town is destroyed,_ Mew protested. His eyes widened slightly; it turned to him apologetically, remembering that he had been unconscious.

_There are many cities in many regions; pick one and drop him off._

_That is quite callous of you, Arceus._

_My responsibility does not lie with an orphaned child, Mew, neither is he a pet to be kept by us._

_But—_

_Mew, do you not understand me?_

_But how do you even know—_

"Shh," he murmured, engrossed in his book yet again.

_He doesn't appear to want to leave, _Mew said.

_That's not the problem. A human can't exist in these conditions—_

_I'll help him!_

Arceus gazed at it evenly. _Why are you so interested in this human boy?_

_I just am, like you were interested in Damos._

That seemed to strike something within Arceus. It sighed, rising into the air. _Only know that I highly disapprove of this, Mew,_ it said before passing through the portal, disappearing. Mew smiled, falling back on its bed. It knew Arceus well enough to know that was its way of agreeing, albeit grudgingly. It turned to the boy, who had resumed reading, and floated over, plopping down softly in his lap and curling up like a Persian.

"Why do you want me?" he asked, his voice even softer than before. "I'm unimpressive. I'm nobody. Joey and his friends always beat me up 'cause I'm a nerd that reads books… My parents caught Pokérus and died, and nobody wanted to adopt me 'cause they were afraid I had it too…" Mew was perplexed as small drops of salty water fell on the book's pages. Where did it come from? "I'm totally unimportant… Why would a Legendary want me?" Mew realized that the moisture was coming from him; it did understand tears in a scientific way, but not too well. It knew that things only cried when they were sad, however. It patted the boy's shoulder hearteningly.

_It's okay,_ it cooed. _You're not unimportant. I really like you…_ It trailed off, still unsure of his name.

"Aristotle," he sniffed, wiping his nose on the back of his hand. "My name is Aristotle. But… Oak called me Aries because… He said I have a kind of fire in my eyes…"

_Aries… _The name seemed to fit him_. Do you really wish to stay?_ it pressed. _Arceus said that these conditions aren't suited for humans; you can be in extreme pain without proper training._

"I really want to read these, though." He looked at the tipping stacks of random books around him. "You have books from all the regions, and I really love to read…"

_It's never been done, training a human to be like a Legendary. It could take years and would place more pressure on your body, mind, and spirit than anything you could ever experience in the human world. You can go back now, Aries, and find human friends and live a normal life._

"Hah," he murmured. "I'm five years old and I know twice as much as Oak; I can't really be called normal anymore. I'm just that weird kid that would rather read a novel than battle Pokémon like everyone else his age."

_You're not weird at all._

"Doesn't matter. It was stupid of me to say," he muttered. Mew stood up, hugging his arm awkwardly.

_It was not,_ it protested. His eyelids fluttered.

"Everyone is really gone, aren't they?"

_They are, Aries._

"Even Joey?"

_Joey as well._

His eyes shut tightly. "I miss him. A lot."

He was very quiet for a long time, long enough for Mew to gather that he was sleeping. It poked his cheek curiously; he was injured, so resting was not abnormal, but if he had a concussion then he could potentially slip into a coma. It was terribly irritating to be unable to use its powers on him, which included healing. Someday, Mew would find the answer to that, but for now, the human needed his rest.


	3. (Prologue Part 3) Aurora Borealis

Taking care of a human was much like taking care of an injured Pokémon—if Pokémon were more complex than amino acid chains. They had different needs to attend to, different resistances, different aversions. Aries woke up exactly three hundred and sixty-two minutes later and requested something to eat. Evidently, that one request was more than both of them could handle.

Mew started off with some Berries; they were basic Pokémon food, and it had seen humans eat them on occasion. Aries rejected them instantly, stating that he was allergic to one but unsure of the exact Berry and didn't want to risk it. A little irritated, it tried Magikarp, but Aries also rejected it, saying he couldn't eat raw fish. An attempt to cook it failed miserably, a second attempt failing even worse when Moltres failed to understand the word "overcooked." Finally, Mew decided to get scientific with it, combining glucose, glycerol, and fat-soluble vitamins into a chalky paste, offering it to Aries with assurances of it quickly allowing him to heal. Dubious, he tasted it, only to end up horrifically bilious moments later. Mew was still trying to figure out what went wrong with its formula.

The second confusing instance was his body's way of expelling waste. Mew requested that he do it in a bag so that it may dispose of it, which he seemed fine with at first, but simply stood there as Mew hovered in its spot, appearing more and more anguished by the second. Mew repeatedly asked him what the problem was but he simply shook his head, which was when Mew finally decided to take its leave. It returned five minutes later and Aries shoved the bag in its direction, an odd expression on his face. Humans are strange, was Mew's only thought on the matter.

Though he remained peculiar in his ways, he was a very avid learner, Mew discovered. Four hours out of the day it took him aside to teach him basic human skills such as arithmetic and history, come to find he already had the knowledge of a full-grown man. Mew decided to instead teach him the ways of the Legendary—meditation, arbitration, and divine intervention, which included their godly abilities. He was most dubious about his ability to learn them, where Mew convinced him that even a commonplace human could learn rudimentary Psychic abilities, such as Gym Leader Sabrina.

Time passed much slower in the Legendaries' dimensions than it did on Earth, but Mew measured three days of Earth time before Aries' body finally reached its limit. One day Mew returned from an excursion to the human world-they chalked up the destruction of Pallet Town to "foreign intervention," which seemed to be their description of Deoxys; suffice it to say, there was still a lot of mystery surrounding the event for them, as well as a severe amount of grief-and didn't find him in his usual chair reading. It searched a bit before hearing his cry, the same cry he made when he was in pain from Deoxys' attack. It found him curled up beneath a toppled tower of books, which were so large they almost dwarfed his small body.

It quickly made work of the mess, tossing the books out of his way and attempting to help him to his feet; however, he cried out again, refusing to straighten up or move a single millimeter. It occurred to Mew that he had been in its dimension for three days, which was an extraordinary amount of time for him to have been completely at ease. It would've congratulated him, but judging by the extreme pain caused by the abnormal pressure of the dimension, he would most likely be unwelcoming.

_Arceus warned you of this,_ it said. A single tear streaked down his splotchy face and his lips twisted into a contorted line.

"It hurts," he moaned. "Ten times worse than Joey and his friends. A hundred times worse than the chimney. It really hurts, mum."

He had a tendency to slur his _Mew_ into _mum_, which Mew would have usually protested, but at the moment his health was its main concern. It tried to soothe him, humming lullabies it had often heard in the human world and wiping away each tear he shed, however he continued to writhe in pain. It was painful how useless Mew was; if only I could heal him, it thought miserably. Then, I shouldn't be lamenting over this. I should be trying to find an answer.

It took a while, but Mew managed to coerce him into a sitting position. _Meditate,_ it said. Aries ignored it the first time, grimacing. _Meditate,_ Mew repeated, sitting opposite to him_. It will help, I promise. Just close your eyes and slip back into your mind; it shouldn't be hard, especially since you do this every time you fall into a book._

Aries exhaled slowly but closed his eyes. Almost immediately the tension left his body and he was completely still. Mew silently hovered around him, touching him in several places on his body and failing to cause him to even flinch. It smiled, clapping his hands; he mastered meditation very quickly for a human, though the extreme pain was probably a very good motivation.

He spent five human hours and twenty-one minutes in a meditative state; Mew took advantage of the time, checking in on the human world while he couldn't ask it about it. Though it would love to take him there, it would have too many repercussions; he was the lone survivor of Pallet Town, meaning that too much attention would be drawn to him, too many questions would be asked, and one of the things Mew learned about him was whatever the situation, he never lied. For him to speak about the Legendary Pokémon and the several entrances into their dimensions would spell out their destruction—not that Mew believed that humans were destructive like the others, but it did believe that most ruined things that they touched, and it loved its junk collection.

Mew returned with something the humans called "ice cream," which was frozen Moomoo Milk congealed into a thick slush and colored with artificial flavors. For all of its fallacy, it did taste very nice, and it wanted to share it with Aries, come to find out that he had come out of his meditative state somewhere on its excursion and had fallen asleep. It landed next to him and nudged his face; he moaned softly, rolling onto his back.

_Aries, I have something incredibly fascinating I want you to see, _it promised. Aries' eyelids slid back a bit.

"Wha's it?" he slurred groggily. Mew held out the ice cream cone; he half-sat up, looking at it in mild interest.

_They call it 'ice cream.'_

"I know, Mew. I had it in Pallet Town."

_Oh._ Mew's shoulders slumped. It had wanted to surprise Aries, but again fell flat on its face; having read more books than the average man did in his lifetime, he knew everything that was on Earth, meaning he was nearly impossible to impress.

"I don't like sweet things anyway," he said. Mew suspended it in the air with Psychic, keeping the bubble of energy cool so it didn't melt.

_You're feeling better?_

"Yeah; I mean, it still kinda hurts, but not nearly as badly."

_That's very good. You're the first human to have learned the art of meditation so quickly and fluently, but it does help that you already do it._

"You can learn a lot if you're always alone." He didn't say it lugubriously; he said it in a more matter-of-fact manner.

_You can't possibly always be alone, Aries. You have to have some sort of company—_

"I do," he said. "But it doesn't mean it's the company that I want."

Joey and his friends came to mind. _Why do they assault you as they do? You said that it is because you're always reading, but that certainly can't be the case for all the times._

"Yet, it is." This time, a bit of sorrow trickled into his tone. Mew prodded the ice cream's bubble, watching it quiver and bob in the air.

_So who gives you the books?_

"Professor Oak," he answered. "He thinks of me as a prodigious scientist, so he gives me all these books on Pokémon and academics."

_What did you read about me?_ Mew asked inquisitively.

"Um…" He thought for a moment. "You're the Ancient Pokémon, said to be the ancestor of all existing Pokémon. You can learn any and every move and you are invisible to anyone with an impure heart. Did I get it right?"

_You forgot one thing._ His crestfallen expression was akin to a kicked Growlithe's. _I'm a collector of human items._

"Oh." He looked around at Mew's extensive collection. "I just like the books. Oak only had ones from Kanto; you have them from all the regions. Did you really travel everywhere?"

_In every time period,_ Mew added.

"Astounding," he breathed. Then he sobered up. "Why did you choose me, Mew? Out of _all_ the people in the world, the Pokémon Champions and adventurers and such, you chose me, a lonely little orphan brat in miniscule Pallet Town."

_I've noticed that you have an inferiority complex, which is completely ludicrous when you've such an unprecedented, astonishing intelligence quotient and potential as a human._

"You _noticed_?" He appeared bemused then. "You mean you read my mind, right?"

Mew shook its head. _I cannot use any Psychic abilities on you for reasons unknown to me._

"You…can't?"

_No._

An indecipherable expression passed over his face. It vanished too quickly for Mew to question, only to be replaced by abstraction. "I miss Pallet Town," he murmured. Then, "Could you…take me to my world? Please? Just for tonight?"

_Aries, I can't. Arceus—_

"He doesn't have to know!"

_He knows all._

"You don't even have to take me near Pallet Town! Just anywhere, please!" He bowed his head. "Please…"

The longing in his voice was very clear. It touched his head. _Arceus' reasons for you to stay and mine are completely different. He believes that you will die because of this atmosphere and does not want your body to remain in the human world where they can discover the abnormalities in it, correlating it with us Legendary Pokémon; mine are that it would be too problematic for your body to constantly adjust to our world's atmosphere and Earth's, and that your organs and skeleton would eventually suffer from the fluctuating pressure._

"Just once, Mew…" He put his arms around it, pulling it close. Even for a five-year-old, Aries was small; Mew was a little bigger than his whole upper half, which made it awkward as he hugged her like a stuffed animal. "Please. _Please_."

Mew realized that it wasn't childish desire in his voice but pure, agonized longing. It wished more than ever that it could connect with him psychically and feel the pain he felt, but it was left in the dark as he pressed it as tightly as possible against his body, his hair tickling its face. _Aries—Aries, please—you're too—Aries—I can't—_ He didn't relent in the least; if anything, he held it tighter. _Aries—Aristotle, release me—you don't understand—I—I—I'll take you._

He stood up so quickly it was almost inhuman, holding Mew away from him. "You will?" he sniffed.

_I will. In return, I'd like that you refrain from telling Arceus. I will attempt to hide this excursion from him as long as possible._

"Of course!" Mew noticed that he was looking a little to its left instead of directly at it, but ignored it for the time being. It was going back to the human world, this time with a guest.

* * *

><p>"Where are we?" Aries asked, his breath freezing into a cloud of grey mist. He appeared to be freezing, which was understandable when they were one of the polar regions on Earth, which were renowned for their extreme temperatures, and he was wearing a simple shirt and pants.<p>

_Far north,_ Mew answered, plopping down into the blanket of snow. It always amazed it how it was so plush, like nature's carpeting. It made a mental note to thank Articuno later. _I want to show you something._

"Can I get a sweater first?" Mew had a hard time understanding him with his teeth chattering so hard.

_Are you cold, Aries?_

"No, I'm just shaking because I like the feeling." He rolled his eyes with a frozen sigh. It stared inquisitively; it had heard of the emotion, but it was the first time it heard Aries being 'sarcastic.'

_Why are you being _sarcastic?

"Because the answer is obvious."

Mew stared at him for a few seconds more before letting its eyes fall to the snow. It had forgotten how fragile humans were; he could very well freeze to death in temperatures like that ill-equipped. It used Protect to create a bubble around them, pushing the snow outside until their little space was just smooth dirt. Then it used a weak Heat Wave, warming the space until Aries relaxed and fell to the ground.

"Warm," he exhaled. "Why did you take me _here_? I could've died; unless you were planning that." His face didn't change but something in his tone did.

_No!_ Mew looked up at the sky; it was late in the night, perhaps a few hours after the midnight hour, and it was very dark, the three-quarter moon and its few stars barely lighting the area. Around them, some Jynx and Delibird shuffled through the snow, returning to their homes._ I assumed that maybe, after experiencing such pain, you would like to enjoy something. Also, I know you read about this—you read about everything, it seems—but there are tremendously low chances of you having seen it in person._

"Seen what?"

It waited until the last Pokémon disappeared and the area grew quiet. Subsequently, a lone crimson light fluttered through the sky. They watched as it faded, overwhelmed by the darkness, then returned, this time accompanied by a golden spark. The sparks mingled, tested each other, before separating, drifting apart in the endless sky. Soon, trails of aqua and emerald swam into view, looping and twirling and spinning in the same wavy path. They grew in size, intensifying until their light shone through the murk and towards the moon. Other colors appeared, blue and purple and orange, and joined the others, merging until they all formed a long iridescent stream burning through the night sky. Aries gasped, his face glowing with its effervescence.

"The _aurora borealis_!" he said. "The northern lights!" He watched in awe as the lights glittered and gleamed, admiration for nature's beauty clear in his features.

_I have been observing them since they first appeared and the glory never dulls,_ Mew said, though it doubted he heard him as he appeared completely consumed in watching the lights flash and wiggle. It reclined in their little bubble and watched them with him, content to let him enjoy his moment of humanity in silence. The Legendaries' dimensions had its fair share of visual spectacles; however, none could amount to the naturally-made things on Earth. Aries deserved something normal for that night, before things truly became hard for him.

The northern lights remained in the sky for sixty-seven minutes before they began to wane, lights dulling and fading until they were no more than scratches of color in the blackness of the arctic. It turned to Aries and found him curled up on the dirt, fast asleep. As mature as he acted, he did fall asleep quickly like the child he was. It sighed, pulling his hair and tugging his arm, but he refused to wake up. It slumped against his body resignedly, exhaling.

_You seem very content, Mew._

It snapped to attention, eyes raised to the sky. Arceus didn't grace it with its physical presence but its voice was still crystal-clear. _Arceus, I'm sorry—_

_If you've taken him back, you should be prepared to leave him, _it said impassively.

_No, Arceus—_

What_, Mew?_ it snapped. _It was your decision to keep him in our world, yet you brought him back! You disregarded our agreement; it's time to face the repercussions._

_No, Arceus, I don't want to bring him back!_

There was a loud _boom!_; it was astounding that no Pokémon rushed outside to find its source. _You must remember, Mew, that it was I who created all humans as living organisms and I who gave them autonomy; they are not to be coveted and captured and held like trinkets._

_I know, Arceus! Do you think I am unaware of what I am doing? _Mew wrapped its tail around him before Arceus could continue, shattering their protective bubble. He shuddered once in his sleep, a grimace twisting his features as he was reintroduced to the painful cold. It floated up, visibly straining to lift a person triple its weight; it quivered and shook in the air, nearly falling back to earth several times as it sped across the snow. It put a block over its mind, shutting out Arceus and any other potential obstructions. It had no idea how it was going to manage a passage home by itself, but it was going to—the only question was if it was going alone, or with Aries.

It wasn't sure how far it got—it couldn't have been more than sixty feet, not with the extra weight—but soon it was unable to support itself even by Psychic, falling to the ground near a loping rock formation that was structured similar to a cave. It managed to drag Aries beneath it, pushing the snow away before it was completely drained of mental energy. It fell to its side, curling into Aries' body. While its mind was clear, its ears were full of the sounds of a forming blizzard, strong winds whirling and shoving snow around and pelting them with it. It wanted to tell Articuno to cease and desist, but opening its mind would make it victim to Arceus' haranguing, and it wasn't worth it. Aries' life, on the other hand, was.

No more than five minutes had passed, but tremors wracked his small body even though he was curled up into as tight a ball as possible. His fingertips and toes were very white and his jaw was clenched so tightly the muscles were like steel. If they stayed like that, he would die of hypothermia before the night had even partly elapsed, and the fault would be for Mew's own egocentricity.

_I should've just left him in another town, like Arceus said,_ it thought dejectedly.

_Ah, yes; yet another show of your idiocy._

Mew sat ramrod straight, searching through the thick sheet of snow falling from the sky for the source of the unfamiliar voice. At first, it couldn't see anything, but quickly sensed an approaching presence to the northeast. _Who are you?_ it demanded, fearful of Deoxys' return.

_Not that virus, Deoxys, _the voice answered calmly. It gasped; it could read its thoughts too? _And yes, I can read your thoughts perfectly. You really do love that human, don't you? I don't see why; humans are so weak, so fragile. He'll be dead within the hour._

_Show yourself._

_Is it my fault it's snowing so hard?_

_Show yourself,_ it repeated.

_Fine, fine,_ the other sighed. The snow parted and curved around a bubble of psychic energy, revealing the figure of the stranger. Mew's first action was to gasp, broken and scattered thoughts racing in its mind. _'It looks like me?' That's the basis of those illogical thoughts, am I right?_

_Who are you? _Mew demanded again, baffled. The other Pokémon did look like it, however marginally; it had the same skeletal structure and apparently the same mental capabilities, yet whereas Mew's presence was jovial and happy-go-lucky, this one's was foreboding and menacing.

_The name they gave me is 'Mewtwo,'_ it replied concisely. It stepped closer, snow easily bending to its will as it grew within spitting distance of them. _Though it is not the name I'd prefer, it does describe me very well. _Second to Mew, the Ancient Pokémon._ Ha!_ Its laugh, though mental, was very clear, as if it did produce tangible sound.

_Why did you approach me?_ It tried to hover protectively over Aries but failed in its powerless state.

_I'm not here to fight, if that's what you're frightened of, _Mewtwo stated. _I am actually quite exhausted and not in the mood for conflict. I approached you to offer a bit of advice._

_Advice?_ it repeated lamely.

_Yes, advice. I am acutely aware of your self-indulgent want to avoid Arceus and the facts that it's sure to throw at you, so I recommend that you take that dying human to the nearest city, Snowpoint, unless you want your toy to be a Popsicle._

_Popsicle?_

_Oh, just take him. Well, my job is done._ It turned back into the blizzard, taking slow purposeful steps until it was just a dot on the horizon.

_How did you find me?_ Mew thought as loudly as possible. Mewtwo's laugh returned in its skull.

_Only you, Mew, could have so much compassion lying atop so much resentment._

That chilled Mew down to its skeleton. How could it possibly know, it thought, a weak whine escaping its dry mouth. It heard Aries moan, too, and remembered that he was slipping into critical condition. Discarding its questions, it forced its form to change into that of a Fearow and, taking Aries in its claws, it soared up into the sky, above the freezing clouds, and raced for Snowpoint City.


End file.
